By Charlotte Rivington (Guest Post)
Many people don’t fully understand the difference between fine wine, table wine and plonk. Fine wine is a term used to describe a certain quality of wine, wine that is used by collectors because it improves with age; the older the wine, the finer it is.
What is Fine Wine?
Because fine wine is a broad term to describe wine, it’s really difficult to differentiate unless you have a palette for wines and can enjoy the experience of a great wine. You can buy fine wine online, but before you do you want to ensure that what you are buying isn’t just a table wine.
Fine wine can be determined by its balance, complexity and polish. Often the quality of wine is determined by the vineyard it comes from, where the vineyard is located and the quality of grapes it produces.
The wine should improve with age and the balance of the wine ensures that one part doesn’t overpower another while the complexity delights the nose and palate offering you an enjoyable overall experience.
Red Wines
There is nothing better than a hearty glass of red wine with a meat meal. Red wine is a heavier wine, more hearty and made from dark grapes. What you may not realise when you buy fine wine online is that grapes all offer a light colour juice, which means that red wines are produced using both the colour and flavour of the skin.
Red wines vary in colour from bright and intense reds to almost a brown red, this is often depending on the age of the wine. Remember with fine wines, often the older the better where they offer the perfect balance and complexity.
White Wines
White wines are produced using the juice or juice and skin of lighter coloured grapes. White wines are often a welcome addition to a lighter meal, often chosen when having chicken or fish. These wines are refreshing and come in a choice of tastes depending on your palette from sweet to semi sweet to dry. White wine is best served cold.
Rose Wines
Rose wines have increased in popularity over the years and can be enjoyed with heavy or lighter meals. This fine wine is often made using some skin to give it that wonderful pink glow. Some techniques used include pressing red grapes over a short period to reduce the amount of colour that comes from the skin.
Interestingly it’s believed that rose wine was first made centuries ago when the production of red wine wasn’t mastered yet and they achieved rose rather than red.
Sparkling Wines
When buying fine wine online you need to pay careful attention when buying sparkling wines. Many throughout the year believe that all sparkling wines are champagne, while others define sparkling wine and champagne separately.
Sparkling wine and champagne are made the same way, so you don’t have to be fooled here, the wine naturally ferments which causes carbon dioxide which in turn gives the wine that welcome fizz that tickles the taste buds. Sparkling wines are available in both white and rose varieties depending on your preference. You also find that sparkling wines are considerably cheaper than the real champagne.
Champagne
Champagne often a sparkling wine reserved for special occasions, for a good bottle of this fizzy delight you can expect to pay a fair sum. Champagne is sparkling wine which comes from the Champagne region in France. There are three types of grapes used to make this fizzy delight; pinot noir, chardonnay or pinot meunier.
Now while you may believe that sparkling wine and champagne are the same, in the way they are produced but that is where it stops. Champagne is made in a set area and while it may be a sparkling wine it is considered the crème de al crème of sparkling wines.
Exploring and buying fine wines online can be mind-blowing. Visit www.robersonwine.com for a quality selection of fine wine.
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